An influence on the genre of heavy metal

The late 60’s were trying times for rock bands. All the mainstream rock had begun to go in different directions; heavy metal was beginning to emerge, psychedelic pop still ran rampant in the UK scene, San Francisco improvisational jazz rock blossoming on the streets; it was a crazy time indeed.

One band that found themselves ensnared within it all was Iron Butterfly whose claim to fame was the infamous “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.” The 17-minute song was originally recorded as a single at 2:53, but a cut was recorded of each band member taking extended solos in the midst of the intro and the outro, coming in at a sweet 17:04 seconds (the live version is even longer).

Written by band member Doug Ingles, this song sounds like the demon love child of The Doors and Led Zeppelin. Indeed, it’s credited as an influence of the heavy metal genre. The deep guitar riffs and awesome drum solo are definitely where you can see the heavy metal influences; the song beats at your ears for a good few minutes.

The song title’s gibberish title comes from Ingles slurring his words— “The Garden of Eden”—and it apparently stuck. The lyrics and singing, in general, is not where the song’s strength comes from—honestly I could do without them.

Regardless, this is a wonderful example of where heavy metal came from, as well as a fantastic song to just sit back and enjoy the sound of the 60’s with. Iron Butterfly may have been overshadowed by other bands of the time, but they still left their mark on rock history with this influential song.